Two weeks ago, things weren’t going so well for Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller.

He was intercepted at Northwestern after being hit while throwing, and he had lost two fumbles while being a little loose with the ball.

After the second fumble, inside Northwestern’s 5 and with OSU trailing by 10, the coaches ordered backup Kenny Guiton to start warming up. An undefeated season was hanging in the balance, and coach Urban Meyer seemed ready to go to the bullpen for the first time to relieve a healthy Miller.

But Meyer ultimately opted to stay with his starter. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman, up in the press box, was getting feedback from others on the sideline that Miller had his head up and his demeanor was positive, unlike previous times when he had gotten down on himself for gaffes.

“He’s mentally stronger,” senior receiver Corey Brown said.

Still, Meyer and Herman made the message clear to Miller that being loose with the ball is unacceptable.

“ Just like anything with any player, you just work on it and make it clear, this is what we expect,” Meyer said. “He’s a smart guy.”

What also was clear on the sideline that night at Northwestern, Brown said, was the players believe in Miller.

“It’s a real family around here,” Brown said. “So everybody, from people who were playing to people who weren’t playing, were walking up to him and telling him he was all right, we still had a lot of football left, and kind of giving him more confidence that everybody still depended on him.

“So I think that he is mentally strong in that aspect, that he knows he’ll get another chance. And he got his other chance — we won the game. That was the ultimate goal.”

Miller’s bounce-back in leading the team in the fourth quarter that night was “a powerful statement,” Meyer said, about how good he can be.